Taking A Photo Of A Not So Black Cab

Spotted this photographer yesterday riding his bike and taking photo's in the High Street. I could not get my camera out quick enough to get him doing this, but managed to snap a shot just after he stopped, he still got his photo.

Students Are Coming Back To Oxford

The retailers of Oxford have started their Freshers Week and returning students marketing with a lot of the larger chains offering discounts of same sort. Even Oxford's own department store Boswell and Co is giving students 10% off everything for new and returning students. I am not sure that I have noticed this before?

Oxford Half Marathon 2011

This morning traffic in certain parts of Oxford was delayed for a short time to allow the running of the Oxford Half Marathon. I was in Headington this morning and watched the first couple of hundred runners pass the lights on Old Road. There was a nice group of supporters out providing encouragement to all the runners.

I will post a few of the photo's of the individual runners on the additional photo page shortly.

Zoe Peterssen

Over the recent weeks I have noticed that I have been getting a lot hits on Oxford Daily Photo for the search "Zoe Peterssen" as a result of a photo I took and posted of her in October last year. The photo was of Zoe sitting in one of her usual spots in Christ Church Meadows with all of her paper and pencils, sketching same of the large trees.

Thanks to a post by Howie, on that page we now know that Zoe passed away in the last days of August, and she will no longer be that familiar sight to those visiting any of Oxford's parks where she was often seen.

I have reposted Howie's comment on this entry, as he has set up a special email address asking for stories or memories of anyone who had contact with Zoe during there visit to Oxford.

I am writing with sad news of Zoe Peterssen. On the evening of Monday 29th August Zoe passed away peacefully.

On 15th August, low on energy, she fell over in the street and spent a week in bed at home, after which she spent a week in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where she was diagnosed with advanced cancer. It was a swift and decisive illness which she endured with great dignity. She received last rites from her priest friends from Pusey House, where she had been Artist in Residence in recent years.

I am sorry to write to you with this news. I feel greatly blessed to have known Zoe for the past ten years, and to have witnessed her special work. Personally, I count myself as merely one of Zoe’s many friends – it was by chance that I had an appointment with Zoe on the day when she took ill, and consequently I saw her often in the last fortnight of her life.

Zoe had very many good friends both near and far – there must be very many more who we have not been able to contact, so please pass on the news. Also, we do not yet have contact details for Zoe’s relatives and any information you might be able to share about this would be most helpful in sorting out her affairs.

We have set up a special email address for correspondence about Zoe:

zoepeterssenmemorial@gmail.com

The funeral is to be organised by her friends at Pusey House and is planned for Friday 30th September at 12 noon. Further details of the funeral will be sent out automatically in reply to emails, and will be posted on the Pusey House website:

http://www.puseyhouse.org.uk/

Zoe was such a wonderful individual and I am hoping that the funeral will reflect the wide affection in which she was held. I recognise that many friends will be unable to attend, but I would like to invite you to contribute any stories or pictures (via email) which we could perhaps put together in memory of Zoe.

New O'Neill's Has Opened Less The Live Music

I posted back in August that the very popular George Street pub O'Neill's had closed for refurbishment and was due to open on the 22nd of September. Well I am please to report that the refurbishment has be completed and it did reopen as advertised yesterday on the 22nd. During the refurbishment they have unfortunately in my opinion, removed a bit of the soul of this old place, it is now more of a restaurant than a pub, and from what I can see is no place for the live music. O'Neill's always had a great line up of cover bands playing on Thursdays, Friday and Saturday but I guess this will be no more.

Thursday Market Day In Oxford

We have two markets in Gloucester Green, a fruit and vegetable market on Wednesdays, and on Thursday we have the Antiques and Craft Market. On Thursday's you can see a diverse range of goods being sold from coins and bank notes to beads and vintage clothing. Not a big market, however it is worth a look if you are in Oxford on a Thursday, it's just behind the main bus terminus .

Work Inside The Natural History Museum

Not the normal things you would expect to see in the Natural History Museum, loads of wooden boards, scaffolding and day glow vests on the main floor, but that is what I saw when visiting. I think that they are replacing or repairing the flooring, but I could be wrong about that. Most of the museum is unaffected and you miss out on only a small part while this work is happening, so if visiting Oxford don't let this put you off a visit.

Strange Street Art In Cornmarket

Not exactly sure what this was all about. Did anyone see these two girls sitting on a rug in busy Cornmarket, completely still watching a blank screen on a MacBook? They just sat there, I watched them for about 15mins and they did not move at all. There was no sign to explain what the reason was behind it, but it did have a few people very interested.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

As I am sure most of you will know, today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day and I was hoping to get a nice photo of a pirate for the blog today. I had the camera ready and did not see anything that I could use to work in with the day. The only thing that I saw that come close was a poster in HMV about a new Pirates Of The Caribbean DVD that was being promoted. I had just about given up and was thinking I would have to go back to HMV to take a photo of a poster. Just as I started walking up New Inn Hall Street at about 5pm, I come across 8 Pirates. I could not believe my eye's, I had to get a photo of these guys, who where really getting in to this very important international day. Well done.

Sorry David, you are right I saw 8 Pirates....

New Duke Of Cambridge

On this blog in April I mentioned about the cocktail bar in Little Clarendon Street being named the Duke Of Cambridge and wondered if they would connect with the new title given to HRH Prince William after the marriage. Well if you look closely at the pub sign above awning you will notice a new sign, and yes it is of the new Duke Of Cambridge. Have a look at my April post here and another photo here. Great cocktails at Duke Of Cambridge if you are looking for a place to start a night out would recommend.

Worcester College Pond

Today in Oxford there was another kind of "Open Doors", but this time it was just for the colleges of the University, and they where opening there doors for prospective students for next year. Although I am not intending on going to Oxford University I find that most if the colleges are more than happy to let you wonder around on these days, so today I went to Worcester College. It is a little bit away from most of the other colleges which are around the High Street. I did not know that tucked away behind there quad in the most lovely grounds, is this very large pond, I heard a reference about it as a pond, but it is more like a lake. See the autumn colours on the trees?

End Of Punting Season

Not sure exactly when the end of the Oxford Punting Season is, but it is my guess that it would be soon. Today the weather while nice and bright, it was starting to cool. However these guys were having the classic Oxford experience and punting under Magdalen Bridge on the River Cherwell. See that Landrover in the back ground that is in the Botanic Gardens which is another site that is worth a visit if you have a hour to spare, on a nice day.

Re-Tune On 14th September

Remember back in July when the digital TV caravan was in Bonn Square, have a look here, well they were promoting the new digital TV switch over that was going to happen in Oxford. Well it has started, if you are having trouble with your TV tonight, perhaps you need to re-tune it as apart of this change. I think you also have to re-tune it again in about a fortnight, I don't have a TV, so this has not effected me. Todays photo was taken at the Oxford train station tonight as I was returning to Oxford.

Moroccan Market Arrives In Oxford

I have seen the French Market in Broad Street a couple of times, but I have was very surprised to see this very exotic looking Moroccan Market this morning when I was in the city centre. In Oxford till Wednesday evening, with about 40 stall holders, including what looked and smelt like a very nice Moroccan eatery, this Market is very different to the normal travelling we get in Oxford. There little poster at the start of the Market states that they will be travelling to 15 cities in September, so they are going to be busy this month before heading back to Morocco.

Windy Oxford

Last Night and today have been very windy in Oxford, so much so that overnight at St Peter's College in the centre of Oxford a large branch of a tree has snapped off. Not the greatest photo in the world, but you can see how powerful the wind was last night, and I am sure that there have been other damage in the city caused by the wind.

Magdalen College Oxford Open Doors

This weekend the Oxford Preservation Trust held there annual Oxford Open Doors event across the city. I love this event where most of the colleges, and other historic buildings open there doors to the public to wander in and have a look around. I like to visit places that I don't always have access to, and it is great for getting photo's for the blog. If you are visiting Oxford on this weekend you get a real bonus because you are able to access places that you would normally not be able to get to or have to pay to visit. This photo is of people enjoying Oxford Open Doors at Magdalen College this afternoon, it is a very popular event with locals and visitors.

Jack FM Oxford Summer Fayre

Noticed this sign on the fence of South Parks this afternoon, telling everyone that the Free Music Fayre that was planned for this weekend had been cancelled. Not a lot of information about why, and it must have been a very last minute, cause I was given a flyer in Cornmarket on Wednesday. Logged on to the website and there was nothing to say why?

Darren Hanlon Plays The Ultimate Picture Palace

Tonight I was lucky to be able to have a unique Australian evening at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Cowley. It is the first time in a number of years that I have been to this independent cinema just off the Cowley Road, and tonight Darren Hanlon played about four of his songs, including one of his most requested numbers, The Squash Song, I am not sure this is entirely correct. He was then joined by Stephanie Hughes for three more numbers this set were covers, two Paul Kelly songs and one that surprised me, from the West Australian band, The Trifids. After this Darren gave the mostly Australian audience a lesson on how to suck eggs, by explaining the storey of the Man From Snowy River, which was then shown. Never been to a cinema that had a live act before the movie, nice evening.

Baby Steps

Schools is back this week so I can imagine that lots of parents have been busy organising the new years school uniform. While walking around Summertown this week I noticed a new children's shoe store on the Banbury Road. Pasitos, which is Spanish for baby steps according to there website, has also a mail order section. Good to see newer small businesses having shop fronts as well as web presence.

Night Photo Of St Giles Fair

The weather has stayed fine for this years St Giles Fair. It was the last day of the fair this evening and I wondered down to try and get a few nice night photo's, unfortunatley I did not have my tripod with me, but I did managed to get a couple of nice photo's showing the movement of the rides. Lots of people enjoying the rides and foods stands at this year fair.

St Giles Fair

Even with the weather starting to turn a little rainy this evening, there was a very large attendance at first evening of this years St Giles Fair. The fair is always held on the Monday and Tuesday after St Giles Day, this year is was one of the early dates for the fair which is good as school has not started in a lot of schools.

Timing Is Everything

On one of the warmest days that Oxford has had in over a month, the American clothing store GAP is promoting it's 25% off sweaters. What is a sweater? I think this may have been a head office instruction and not a local initiative.

International Beard Day

Today is International Beard Day, a day set aside to celebrate and appreciate all the greatness of the beard. When you walk around Oxford, you see a few beards but I feel there is a decline of the more traditional beard. I spotted Harry looking at the exhibition at the Oxford Castle and asked him if he knew about Beard Day, and he didn't but he was happy to have his photo snapped for the blog. What a great start to what I hope will be a great beard Harry has. There is an official song for this years International Beard Day, I have a like to it here. How many readers to this blog have beards?

End Of The 60 Watt Light Bulb

Yesterday was the last day that you could manufacture or distribute the simple 60Watt light bulb, like this one on my desk at home. From today if I need to replace this bulb that has been part of most peoples lives since they could turn on the light, I will have to replace this with a new environmentally friendly bulb. I am not sure that these bulbs are as clear as the old ones, but I will have to get used to this. Apparently people have been stocking up on the old bulbs before they are sold out completely

Poundland Moves Into Westgate Centre

Today between 10 and 1 at the new Poundland Store in the Westgate Centre you can meet Charlotte Bellamy who plays Laurel Thomas on ITV's Emmerdale. Today is the opening of the store, which is in the unit that the Next Clearance store vacated last month.